The Flower that Finally Bloomed
by Sapphire-Sea
Summary: In sixth year,Lily Evans was sort of a dork.After years of torment from James Potter and his cronies,she decides to show her true colours.But what Lily didn't expect was unwanted attention from her worst enemy.But is his attention really unwanted?
1. Prologue

The Flower That Finally Bloomed Chapter 1 Prologue  
  
End Of Sixth Year.  
  
Lily Evans sat down on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. She took out a few books from her book bag and started researching for a Charms essay that was due next week.  
  
Yep. You heard right. Next week.  
  
Lily was just being her typical dorky and hardworking self, doing her homework a week in advance. She had not a single trace of makeup on her face, her auburn hair was frizzy and entangled as a result of not being brushed for days, she wore glasses that distorted her otherwise beautiful green eyes, and her entire wardrobe consisted of fluffy woolly sweaters and baggy pants. It wasn't that she did this on purpose; she just didn't have the time to waste on such petty things. According to her opinion, the time usually wasted by most girls fussing over their appearance in the mirror, could easily be used to finish a whole Potions essay. Besides, who cared about how you looked as long as you excel in your studies and ensure a bright future for yourself. Yes. That's all that matters. She was after all aspiring to become the student with the most N. E. W. T s in Hogwarts history next year, and the next Head Girl of Howarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
As Lily was putting the finishing touches onto her Charms essay, she heard a loud commotion (mostly made by delighted squeals) coming from the portrait hole. She looked up, and her usually expressionless face deepened into a frown. She let a soft groan escape her mouth. The Marauders had entered the room. This meant that in a matter of seconds, the entire female population present in Gryffindor tower would drop whatever they were doing and run screaming like hopeless fanatics to surround the four Marauders.  
  
The Marauders consisted of four outgoing boys who were in the same year as Lily. First there was the ringleader and most popular Marauder, James Potter. He was a pureblooded wizard who came from one of the most honourable wizarding families in Britain. He stood at a striking 6'feet 1', had jet-black hair that was uncontrollably messy, and had deep hazel eyes. He was a prefect (though Lily couldn't quite comprehend why, with all the havoc he causes) and probably future Head Boy, with the way he charms all the teachers. Potter was also the captain and seeker of the Gryffindor quidditch team. All in all, he was definitely the most sought after by girls.  
  
Next, standing at a still towering 6' feet, was James' second in command, Sirius Black. Sirius was the most handsome among the four, but had nothing else to recommend him on except that he was pretty good in his studies and had an incredible sense of humour. He was also the worst womanizer among the lot, sometimes even switching girlfriends after a day. Third was Remus Lupin, the rather shy one who didn't use his popularity in any way, especially not in charming girls. He had tired blue-gray eyes, and wavy sandy blonde hair. He was the only one among the four that Lily liked at all. Finally there was Peter Pettigrew, a short plumpish boy, who wasn't really considered a Marauder but more of a tag along. Lily didn't quite like Peter even though he never really participated in any of the Marauders pranks. Lily didn't know why, but he just exuded an aura of dread and creepiness.  
  
"Stupid really, " Lily mumbled as she watched the girls jostle each other rather violently to get as near as possible to any Marauder. She looked past the squealing crowd and noticed the four Marauders looking neither overwhelmed nor surprised at the amount of attention that they were receiving. It was an unwritten rule since the third year that the very earth that the Marauders stepped on was to be worshipped. ' Those airheads actually expect this kind of welcome wherever they go,' Lily thought disgustedly.  
  
' Dumb gits. Pranking anybody that annoys them, just because they know they can. Snag any hot girl they want, snog her, shag her then dump her. After that they start dating the poor girl's best friend, then the whole process starts over again. It's always a new flavour each week. They are the most repulsive specimens of males on the planet,' Lily ranted in her head. A particularly loud giggle made Lily roll her eyes. ' But of coarse, every girl HAS to like Jerky James, Stupid Sirius, Ruddy Remus, and maybe Puny Peter,' she thought angrily, before reverting her attention back to her essay.  
  
Lily was just about to roll up her parchment and keep it, when two feet appeared in front of her. She looked up to see James Potter looking down at her with an amused smirk. Then he said rather loudly and mockingly," Oh, look. It's Evans the dork and it looks like she's doing homework that is due next week." Horrified gasps could be heard coming from all the girls around them.  
  
One girl, which Lily was pretty much convinced was Emily Keeth (a total airhead), even exclaimed," Oh My God!! James Potter has caught a GIRL doing homework a week before it is actually due. Oh.Oh." she took in deep breaths before continuing. " Oh My!! This has to be the biggest disgrace to girls all around. This is terrible. I'm even feeling embarrassed for HER," she managed to choke out before starting to sob rather dramatically.  
  
Lily just ignored the snide comments that were being thrown at her. She gave James a defiant glare, adjusted her glasses and returned her gaze to her essay. " Leave me alone, Potter," she muttered softly, her tone dripping with malice. She wasn't the least bit scared of him even though he must have been at least half a head taller than her. Oh you bet she wasn't. It was just that she was used to being incessantly teased by people and besides, she didn't quite see the point in arguing and fighting.  
  
James just sniggered and said," Have it your way dorky Evans." Then he turned around and walked away. Lily not to mention all the expectant spectators were shocked that James would just leave it at that. Then suddenly, he turned around and walked towards her again, and said," I'd watch what I say if I were you Evans dork." With that he began to walk away once more, but not before forcefully ramming his leg into the table leg, causing Lily's ink bottle to topple over and cover her exposed essay, which she had toiled on for hours, with black ink.  
  
Lily let out a cry of surprise and sprang up from her chair. Fury built up inside of her as she heard Potter and his fan club snigger evilly. Finally, all the pent up anger that she had kept inside for years exploded. "You stupid cocky asshole!! You think you're so great!! Thinking you can do whatever the damn hell you want to do!! Well to me, you're nothing but an immature little git who just craves attention and happens to like taking advantage of women!!! ," Lily screamed. Lily could feel everyone's eyes on her, most of them staring with shock that the quiet dorky Lily Evans would have the guts to stand up against someone, and not just anyone. She was standing up against James Potter.  
  
Tears had started to gather beneath Lily's eyes, and to save her dignity, she quickly gathered up all her books and ran to her dorm room. She wasn't about to give Potter and his friends the pleasure of seeing her cry.  
  
Lily practically barged right into her own dorm room. "Stupid Potter," she thought angrily as she flopped down onto her bed. The dam in her eyes finally broke and tears streamed uncontrollably down her flawless cheek. " To hell with that dumb cocky Potter. Thinks he's every girl's god. Stupidly ruffles up his hair just to appear casual. Bullying anyone who doesn't worship him. I hate him. I Hate Him. I HATE HIM!!! ," Lily said to herself, screaming the last few words aloud.  
  
It took another few minutes of ranting and a few deep breaths before Lily finally managed to calm herself down. She was just in time to hear Remus scold James. " You shouldn't have done that James. You went a bit too far that time. Maybe you should go apologize to Lily," Remus suggested in a serious voice.  
  
" Nah. You worry too much my dear sweet Moony. Evans doesn't deserve such treatment. She's just another social outcast. Don't bother yourself too much with her. She's not worth it," James retorted pretending to sound indignant. Many shouts of agreement from James' fan club could be heard.  
  
Not wanting to hear any more insults thrown at her, Lily buried her head under her pillow. Okay. Maybe Remus wasn't that bad. But Lily's heart swelled with anger again as she recalled what James had said. 'Fine, if that's what he thinks than he's got another thing coming,' Lily thought. She quickly pretended to be asleep, when she heard her other two dorm mates, Sara McOriel and Alison Creek, enter the room. Sara was a tall blonde-brunette with blue-green eyes that sparkled brightly along with her personality. She was considered one of the prettiest and nicest girls in Hogwarts. Sara, however, didn't let her beauty get to her head. She didn't chase after boys nor did she welcome their attention. She was Lily's closest and only friend. Alison on the other hand was a total bitch and complete airhead. She was a brunette and had dark empty brown eyes. Alison was also ridiculously skinny (she was always on an impossible diet everyday) and beared a slight resemblance to a moose.  
  
" That was pretty mean of James. Lily didn't even do anything to him," Sara commented rather angrily, at the lack of respect shown towards her friend. Lily smiled at her friend's loyalty. She felt really lucky to have a girl like Sara as her friend.  
  
" Hey, Evans pretty much deserved it. Pretending to be a little Miss- Know-It-All every time. This should put her in he place," Alison replied, glee evident in her voice. Lily scowled at this.  
  
Both of them quickly hushed up when they saw Lily's figure. Actually, Lily was sure that Alison would have all the more enjoyed continuing insulting her (especially with Lily present) if Sara had not somehow threatened her to shut her trap. In a few minutes, Lily was pretty sure that both were sound asleep.  
  
"Lucky school ends in another two more weeks. Then no more Potter and his annoying fan club for two whole months," Lily thought happily, before drifting off to sleep.  
  
In the boy's dorm.  
  
The Marauders were busy discussing the subject which most sixteen- year-old boys found the most interesting. Girls.  
  
"Hey, is it me or is that Kerry Donaldson getting hotter. She's certainly a lot curvier than the last time I looked at her, " Sirius commented. " You think she'll go out with me?" he added thoughtfully.  
  
James scowled at Sirius. "Padfoot, I always thought you could aim higher. But just for the record, you've gone out with Donaldson no less than five times, had some major snogging sessions with her, maybe even shagged her a few good times, and then dump her after you're fed up," James replied while counting his fingers. "And just to answer your question, yes. Donaldson would definitely go out with you again. So would any other girl in Hogwarts." Sirius smiled proudly at James' replay. It wasn't everyday that James praised him. But it's not as if he relied on James' every word. He knew that James respected his opinions as much as he respected his.  
  
James and Sirius then turned their conversation towards Remus, who had remained disturbingly quiet throughout the discussion. They looked expectantly at him. Remus just smiled sheepishly at them and softly said, " I think Sara McOriel's kinda pretty.and she seems nice enough," he added hesitantly.  
  
Sirius and James took one amused look at Remus' red face, and burst into hysterical fits of laughter. James managed to gain back his composure before Sirius, who had dropped of his bed laughing madly, and managed to say between muffled laughter," Aww, our little shy Moony's all grown up.(*laughter) and finally eyeing a certain girl." Remus turned a spectacular shade of magenta and turned his face away.  
  
Seeing Remus' embarrassed reaction, Sirius forced a serious expression on his face and (trying not to laugh) said," Moony my boy, don't ever be afraid of liking a girl. Me and Prongs here were just a little surprised and amused that you had finally even so much as looked a girl's way, and even better yet, Sara McOriel's way. We all know how hard a catch she is. Honestly, she must be the first hot chick that didn't try and force herself on us. Right Pete. Peter?" Sirius turned around to find Peter snoring loudly in his bed. Sirius smiled and shook his head. Peter was always the first one to fall asleep and also the last one to get out of bed.  
  
Wait a minute. Sirius suddenly remembered hat James had no spoken about any girl yet. "What about you Prongsie buddy? Who' your new flavour? We still have two weeks before the holidays you know."  
  
James opened his mouth to reply Sirius, but was cut off by Remus, whose face it seems had returned to its normal pale colour. "James, why did you do that to Lily? She didn't do anything to you. She didn't so much as look at you. Why did you destroy her essay so cruelly?" Remus questioned.  
  
He meekly looked up at James, who was thinking of what to say. James finally said, "Hey, Evans is a dork and dorks just annoy me. I mean seriously, doing homework a week in advance. Besides, she doesn't even take care of her appearance like NORMAL girls do. She has practically no curves at all and she's also pretty flat chested. Evans is nothing but a disgrace to females all around. That just really ticks me off." James stopped at that point, seeming to be quite pleased with his answer.  
  
Remus simply sighed at his friend's shallowness and tiredly said, "I don't like where this discussion is going. I'm turning into bed early. G'night everyone," and pulled his curtains around his bed. James and Sirius just gave each other puzzled looks and shrugged. They then switched off the light magically, and jumped into their respective beds.  
  
Sirius yawned loudly and said through the dark, "Hope a certain someone enjoys his dreams about a certain girl named Sara." James swore he heard Remus shift uncomfortably in his bed. Suddenly, Remus' question came back to him. What had made him act so cruelly towards Evans? Remus was right; she didn't do anything to him in the first place. So why did he destroy her essay? Hold on. Why was he questioning himself like this? It was his right to do whatever he wanted. Why should he, James Potter, the guy with the perfect life, bother himself with such petty things?  
  
James was right about his life. It was certainly one to be envious about. Hot chicks, looks, best friends that were more like brothers, exciting adventures, historical pranks, captain of the qudditch team, prefect, and rich parents. Yep. Life was certainly rosy for James. So why was Remus' words and the look on Evans' face when he destroyed her essay, tearing apart his conscious? 


	2. Chapter 1 Time for a Change

The Flower That Finally Bloomed Chapter 2 Time for a Change  
  
The last two weeks of the summer holidays.  
  
Lily admired herself in the mirror. The incident with Potter that had left her somewhat emotionally drained, was still fresh in her mind throughout the whole holiday. The rude comments on her lack of feminity and the snide remarks on her studiousness had stung her more deeply than anyone could possibly imagine. She had vowed to show all of them who she could really be, so she had allowed herself to change a bit over the summer. Lucky for Lily, her body seemed to have sensed her need.  
  
As she looked herself up and down in the mirror, Lily noticed a distinct change in her body shape. Her bust had swelled to twice the size than it was before, her hips had rounded quite well, and her legs seemed to have grown longer and slimmer. Her skin didn't seem so sickly pale anymore, but took on something more like a moonlight glow, making her body seem fuller. Lily had finally started to brush her hair, which had grown longer and tumbled perfectly onto her back in waves. Her shiny auburn locks framed her beautiful porcelain face quite nicely, making her look like some sort of goddess out of a painting. She had used magic to correct her eyesight, therefore leaving her with no excuse to wear her glasses. Lily was well aware that she could have done this much earlier, but she had been wearing glasses since she was six, and besides she had felt more comfortable with them on.  
  
Lily suddenly got cold feet. What was she doing? She was changing herself because of HIM. 'No!!" Lily scolded herself. 'You're doing this for yourself and no one else,' she told herself sternly. This was going to be her last year at Hogwarts. This was going to be her year. Her last chance to show all of them who Lily Evans was really made of.  
  
Over the holidays, she had done some shopping on her own behalf. First, she had decided to restock her wardrobe. She had gone around all the muggle shopping malls in her area, searching for outfits that would suit new figure. Lily mostly decided on tank tops and shorts that showed off her beautiful legs. Next, she had spent a bit of money on some light makeup. She bought some lip-gloss, mascara, and eye shadow. Lily didn't really want to overdo it with makeup. It seemed really artificial to her if too much was used. But in truth, Lily really didn't even need a hint of makeup to look beautiful. She had been blessed with flawless porcelain skin, piercing green eyes, and a perfect rosebud mouth. Even during her dork days, Lily never seemed ugly like most dorks did. She had actually looked quite appealing. But now, it seemed that the seventh year boys at Hogwarts were in for a delicious treat.  
  
But even though Lily had taken a new interest in her appearance, her passion for studying and being responsible sure hadn't. She still held onto her ambition to be the highest scorer in the N. E. W. T's in Hogwarts history. If there was one thing Lily Evans knew how to do, it was controlling herself. She knew her limits and she wasn't about to get herself all swollen headed over her new look. Lily cringed as she imagined herself acting like those airheads chasing the Marauders around. God. Don't those girls have any dignity? Lily shook her head sadly at the thought of them throwing themselves on boys. "Idiots," she muttered.  
  
She stole one last look at herself and thought," Wait till Potter and his friends see the new me. Then they would wish that they had never messed with me ever. Especially Potter. I'll exact such a humiliating prank on him that he would really be sorry for tormenting me in the past years. Yes. Revenge would certainly be sweet." Lily smiled softly and the thought. She then walked out of her room and started downstairs for the kitchen.  
  
Suddenly, Lily heard a shriek of horror and found herself face to face with a hysterical Petunia. Petunia saw Lily and started screaming at her. "Look you freak, I would really damn appreciate it if you could keep your freaky little life away from my NORMAL one!!!" Petunia shouted, going red in the face. She hurtled past Lily, mumbling audibly, " Why couldn't I have had a normal sister instead of the freak of nature that I have here with me." Lily jumped a bit as Petunia slammed her door forcefully, then shrugged and continued towards the kitchen. She was so used to Petunia behaving this way too her, that she had learned to ignore her maniac sister completely.  
  
Lily wondered what could have sparked such a rage from Petunia. She had been staying out of her way for the whole day. Lily was really puzzled at the hysterical behavior of her mad sister. Oh well. Maybe Petunia finally got what she was asking for, for a long time and was really going crazy. Lily giggled a bit at the idea. She soon shut up, as she entered the kitchen. Perched on the food counter was a huge tawny barn owl, and in its beak was a letter with the Hoqwarts seal stamped on it. Lily took the letter from the owl, and gave it a treat before ushering it out of the window. The owl ruffled it's feathers indignantly and flew away in a huff.  
  
Whew! Lily sighed. At least she didn't have to face anymore of Petunia's madness, now that the owl was gone. Hold on. Petunia was always mad, so it didn't really matter if the owl had stayed or not. Lily suddenly remembered her letter and snatched it up greedily. Odd. It seemed a little heavier than usual. She opened the envelope, and pulled out her school supplies list, a letter, and her Head Girls badge. Lily was about to burst with happiness and pride. One of her goals was accomplished. She had finally become Head Girl.  
  
She opened her mystery letter, and it read:  
  
Dear Miss Evans,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen as the next Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We hope you will continue to serve the school well in your new duties. You shall meet the new Head Boy on the Hogwarts Express, to discuss your new duties, in two weeks. Best wishes.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
Professor Minerva  
McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress,  
Hogwarts School of  
Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
Her happiness doubled when she thought of her trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow, to buy her school supplies.  
  
Lily finally felt genuinely happy after such a long time. Her life was finally taking a positive turn.  
  
At the Potter mansion.  
  
James was lying in his bed. He usually didn't bother to get up until 10 o'clock in the morning. It was now only 8 o'clock. You guessed right. James was thinking about the incident with Evans again. God. His dumb conscious had been giving him no peace since the holiday started. What bothered him most however, was that he was actually starting to feel guilty for what he had done to Evans.  
  
Frustrated, James thought that he would actually consider knocking himself out, just to get rid of the recurring memory. Finally, James opted to take a shower, throw on some clothes, and go downstairs for an early breakfast.  
  
Once downstairs, James was greeted with an exact replica of himself, except maybe with a few more wrinkles and gray hair. James was looking at his father, Mr. Jeremy Potter, a world-class auror whose name commanded great respect in the wizarding world.  
  
" Good morning, dad," James greeted, his voice sounded tired and nonchalant  
  
"Morning, son. Bad sleep last night?" M Potter asked. James simply grunted and slumped onto the kitchen counter.  
  
" James darling, what a surprise. I didn't know you could wake up this early," squealed a little-bit-too-hyper Mrs. Potter, when she entered the kitchen and saw James already there. James let out an inaudible groan. He was in no mood for his mother's I'm-so-happy-I-could-sing attitude. Don't get him wrong. James loved his parents, but sometimes they could be bit over affectionate.  
  
"So James," his father began. "What time is Sirius coming over?" James eyes widened in realisation. Shit. He had completely forgotten that Sirius was coming over today. He would be staying here for the remainder of the holidays.  
  
James raced out of the kitchen and to the fireplace. He could vaguely make out his mother saying animatedly, "Sirius is coming? Charming boy that one is." James sniggered. Sirius was certainly the charmer. He was always the best one to get into trouble with, since he could always find a way to charm them out of getting detention.  
  
A sudden 'POP' and a huge cloud of soot, made James jump. He turned to the mouth of the fireplace, and saw a very soot-covered Sirius Black clambering out with a huge trunk behind him. " Hey Jamsie boy. How are ya? Tell your mum I'm sorry 'bout the mess. Well don't just stand there, help me carry my trunk up your never-ending staircase," Sirius huffed and put on a cheeky grin.  
  
James recovered quickly from his shock and retorted with an evil grin," Hey, I'm already giving you a place to stay, so carry your own trunk."  
  
Sirius pouted and put on huge puppy-dog eyes. "Pretty please with sugar and cherries on top," he whined. James punched him playfully on the shoulder and started walking up the stairs. Sirius grumbled and said a levitating spell to lighten his load. He then followed James grudgingly up the stairs.  
  
James meanwhile, was thinking about their trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow, where they were going to meet Remus and Peter. Suddenly a squeal of delight came from the kitchen, and a beaming Mrs Potter came running out of the kitchen, towards James. "Jamsie. Oh, Jamsie!!! You're Head Boy. Your letter just came. This is simply terrific. This would make you the fourth Head in your generation. Remember cousin Ryan, Carol, Jenny, and Lucas. Oh dear, I'm so proud of you James," Mrs Potter practically sang and engulfed James in a smothering hug.  
  
Sirius on the other hand, looked positively horrified at the news. " James. Head Boy. What is this goddamn world coming to? God. I really pity the Head Girl. This is bad. Real bad. James, you do realize that this is going to terribly restrict our mischief-making," Sirius said worriedly, looking really distraught.  
  
James however looked neither pleased nor saddened at his new post. He read the letter from Hogwarts. Damn. They didn't tell him who the Head Girl was. Guess he would have to find out on the train. The only thing he knew about being a Head, was that it was his duty to organize Prefect meetings, special functions, balls and set a good example for other students. All these duties he would be sharing with the Head Girl, along with the tower for the Heads.  
  
All those demanding duties reminded him of Evans, the queen of dorks, who would have been more than happy to accept these new responsibilities. Shit. Shit. Why did he have to think of her now? James tried to stop his guilty thoughts from returning, by thinking about tomorrows trip to Diagon Alley. Yep, that's it. Just push all those thoughts about Evans' teary expression and Remus' questions aside. But no matter how hard he tried; an image of Evans shouting at him always appeared in his mind. Damn it. He could even hear Remus' voice ringing in his ears. Okay, this is so not working. James cursed his mind for being so weak. He knew he was going to have to do something before he went mad.  
  
This was really starting to kill him mentally. 


	3. Chapter 2 Disaster in Diagon Alley

The Flower that Finally Bloomed Chapter 3 Disaster in Diagon Alley  
  
Lily stepped into the Leaky Cauldron. She could feel many wizards turning to look at her. Lily felt her cheeks grow hot, and started to walk quickly to the back, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red with every step that she took. Being her normal conservative self, she had worn a modest white tank top and a pair of beige shorts, which exhibited her beautiful legs. But unbeknownst to her, she looked like some sort of supermodel even without wearing any make up and putting on an attitude.  
  
After stepping into Diagon Alley, Lily took out two shopping lists. One was her school supplies list, while the other was her personal shopping list. She decided to do her personal stuff first, which included buying two new robes for school, a dress robe for balls or special occasions, and a new broom (her parents had insisted as a reward for being chosen as Head Girl). Lily headed for Madame Malkin's robe store, and found it empty. As a result, Madame Malkin decided to fit her personally. Lily discovered that Madame Malkin was kinda (only kinda) nice when she wasn't flustered and in such a rush. Lily's new school robes would now have to be a size smaller to fit her petite figure.  
  
After being fitted with her new school robes, Madame Malkin led Lily to the back of the store, where the dress robes were kept. There were so many beautiful choices that Lily really wished she could buy all of them. Unfortunately, she had only brought enough money with her for one dress. After an hour of scrutinizing how each robe fitted her, Lily finally decided on an elegant baby blue dress robe, which shimmered in the light. It had a plunging neckline, though it was still modest, and greatly accentuated Lily's hips and slim legs. The colour also brought out her striking auburn hair, and went really well with her sparkling green eyes. Even Madame Malkin was pretty amazed at how spectacular Lily looked in the dress robe. It was as if the creator of the robe had been picturing Lily's figure when the robe was being made.  
  
Pleased with her choice, Lily paid for her purchase and proceeded to' Quality Quidditch Supplies', to buy her new broom. As Lily walked past its' show window, she spotted the newest broom model, the Comet Chaser. Lily knew she didn't really need such an expensive broom, so she chose a Comet Sweeper instead. After paying for the broom, she wandered over to the Comet Chaser on display. Lily had always liked flying, but she wasn't really interested in playing quidditch. As Lily was admiring the wonderful craftsmanship exerted onto the broom's handle, she heard four very familiar male voices approaching her. Lily turned her head slightly to see if it was anybody she knew. Her eyes shot wide open as they landed on the four people that she liked least in her entire existence. The Marauders were making their way slowly to where she stood. They didn't seem to have noticed that she was there, and were chatting quite animatedly about qudditch. Good. She still had a chance to escape unnoticed. First, she should edge really quietly towards the...Oh shit!!  
  
Lily felt a wave of panic sweep through her mind, as her green eyes connected with James' brown ones. A surprised, no, more of a stunned look overtook his face, and his right hand reached up into his unruly hair. Shit. Damn. James had seen her. She wasn't ready for this yet. Her panic increased even more, when she saw that Sirius was now also staring at her, with his mouth visibly hanging open. Lily tried frantically to think of a way to escape, her heart beating faster and faster, as she saw the Marauders drawing closer. All of a sudden, Peter knocked over a bucket of broom shine and distracted the Marauders for a second. Lily saw that this was the lucky break that she had been praying for. She immediately seized her chance to grab her purchases and dash out of the store.  
  
Lily bolted into the bookshop, Flourish and Blotts, to buy her schoolbooks, and strongly hoped that James and his friends hadn't seen her going into the store. She quickly snatched up all of the books that she needed and a few extra ones for some 'light' reading. She paid for her books and ran towards the door, eager to get out of Diagon Alley before she met with the Marauders again. Lily wasn't looking where she was going, and she collided with someone as she rounded a corner, and fell to the ground.  
  
Lily slowly opened her eyes to see the person whom she had bumped into. It was Audrey Kington, another geek and social outcast. Lily noticed that she and Audrey were both in a bad situation. They were on the ground, and their stuff was strewn all around them. Then from behind her, Lily felt two strong hands plant themselves on her hips and hoist her up onto her feet. Lily swiveled around to face the owner of the hands. For the second time that day, Lily's eyes locked with James' hazel ones. Lily suddenly became aware of how close she was to James and started to back away. Suddenly, she tripped on one of the items on the ground, and felt herself fall backwards into another strong pair of hands. Lily turned around again and found herself face to face with a grinning Sirius Black. She let out a gasp and instantly bolted from Sirius' grip. Eager to avoid any sort of contact with any of them, Lily fell to her knees and started to pick up her things.  
  
' I wonder if Audrey's fine,' thought Lily, as she concentrated intensely on gathering her things. She looked up to see if Audrey needed any help. She felt fury build up inside her, as she saw that only Remus was helping Audrey, while the other three Marauders were just standing here. Worst of all, two of them (Potter and Black), were not just standing there, but also staring disturbingly at her. 'Probably to see if I fit the standards for having a good shag with," Lily thought disgustedly.  
  
Finally, they knelt down and started to help her pick up her stuff. And Lily noticed, ONLY her stuff. By now, Lily was struggling to control her rage. So, they only think beautiful, curvy girls fit are worthy of their help is it? Then the final straw came when James put on a charming smile and said, " Hey, have we me before? 'Cause I don't think we have. If my eyes ever landed on such a beautiful girl like you, I don't think I could forget that easily." 'What was that??? James Potter is trying to flirt with me. He wouldn't have gone within ten yards of me, unless to mock or bully me, before I had changed my look. And now, HE IS TRYING TO FLIRT WITH ME,' Lily thought angrily. That did it. Lily unleashed her wrath upon them.  
  
"You ignorant vain idiots," she seethed, while clenching and unclenching her pale fists. "All you stupid assholes care about is looks and how big a girl's breasts are. You only bother to help the pretty and popular people," Lily exploded. " Why don't you go help Audrey over there? She's fallen too. Oh, wait! She's NOT that pretty or popular is she? No offense there Audrey," Lily added quickly, and Audrey could only nod her head, apparently too bewildered to do anything else." But that's not the point you cocky gits," Lily continued," You know what, don't help me. Go help Audrey over there. I'd rather pick up my stuff myself, than let your polluted hands touch my things. In fact, I want to throw up a the very sight of your disgusting cocky grinning faces," Lily said in one breath, and started taking in large breaths to calm herself down. By now, her fingernails were digging painfully into the palms of her tightly clenched fists, and a small crowd had gathered around them. James and Sirius were looking dumbfounded at her. This was obviously the first time a beautiful girl had blown her head off at them, and for something they weren't even aware that they'd done.  
  
Lily suddenly paled, as she slowly became aware of what she had just done. In a flash, she had snatched up all her stuff and had bolted for the exit from Diagon Alley. As soon as she was back in the Leaky Cauldron, Lily let out a deep breath. The thoughts 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' were rushing through her head, and she could feel her blood pulsing through her veins. Even she was shocked at her sudden outburst at Potter and Black. Her mind had gone blank at that moment and images of all the nasty things that they had done to her and to other outcasts came rolling into her like mind a red- hot stone. She had felt the hurt and pain all over again, biting away at her dignity. Then finally, the image of her ink-drenched essay had popped into her mind, and that had pushed her temper over the edge. But what had she said? She hoped that she hadn't said anything that was too rash. Hold on. What was she talking about? Why should she care that she was embarrassing Potter and Black in public? They deserved every moment of it pretty damn well. That's right. She wasn't going to be scared of them. She was really anticipating her seventh year. The year that she was going to reign as Head Girl. She was not going to tolerate any nonsense from the Marauders, especially Potter. They should certainly expect hell from her next year. Lily smiled happily to herself at this thought.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
James felt the familiar thug at his stomach and was thrown about wildly by an unseen force. He let out a painful yelp as he landed painfully at the Flooing Network in Diagon Alley. Suddenly, something came flying at him from behind, knocking James forward. James winced and rubbed his sore behind before turning around to see Sirius doing the same thing. Then, he heard two very familiar laughs, and looked up to see two even more familiar grinning faces. Remus and Peter were here. The four boys burst into fits of laughter. They didn't know why they did, though. Guess they were so happy to see themselves together again, and in the same funny situations they were constantly stuck in. But they quickly stopped when they saw that they were drawing a lot of attention from the crowd surrounding them.  
  
The four naturally decided to head for the qudditch store first. As they entered the store, something red immediately caught James' attention. He looked harder through his glasses, and was astounded at what his eyes fell upon. Standing before him was the most beautiful and voluptuous girl he had ever seen. She had silky auburn hair, which fell to her back and was a bit wavy at the tips. Her eyes captivated him. They were a spectacular shade of green and sparkled with every movement she made. Her rosebud lips were full and red. Her milky skin was flawless and gave out a mysterious glow. It made her red hair and lips stand out perfectly. And her sexy body. The thought made James' mouth go dry. She had a firm bust that was not too big and not too small, but enough to make her appear full. Her hips, which swayed seductively as she walked, were perfectly rounded and her beautiful slim legs showed out from beneath her shorts. The girl was like a goddess out of a painting.  
  
James' hand automatically jumped to his hair. Sirius seemed to notice James' disinterest in their conversation, and decided to see what was more interesting than talking about the upcoming qudditch match. Sirius reverted his eyes to the object of James' attention, and his mouth dropped open and hung there for a considerable period of time. James turned and saw his best friend's reaction, and as if by mutual understanding, both of them started to make their way towards the girl, who looked to be about their age. Remus and Peter hurried after them, both seemingly nonplussed by the girl's beauty. James thought that he was imagining things when he saw the girl's eyes widen with what presumably was shock, as she saw them approaching her. Suddenly, Peter tripped and knocked over a bucket of broom shine, causing a ruckus. James and Sirius snapped out of their trance momentarily, and gave Peter a disapproving look. However, when they turned their attention back to the girl, they discovered that she had left the store, much to their disappointment.  
  
The Marauders continued quietly around the store, questioning themselves about the mysterious goddess. Sirius was the first to break the silence. "Wow." he said dumbly. "Have you ever seen such a sexy beautiful specimen of a girl? I mean did you see that body and those legs. I mean wow." he commented again. James remained silent while the other three chattered away. That girl must have been the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes upon. Just thinking about her body made his own body want to burst with desire. But he had had a strange haunting feeling as he had looked at the girl. It felt as if he had met her somewhere before. And her eyes. He had never felt such a strong rush of electricity surge through his body before, as when he had looked into her beautiful green eyes. She was most definitely not one of his past girlfriends. So where had he seen her before. Suddenly, an image of Lily Evans flashed across his mind out of nowhere. Nah. His mind dismissed it in a second.  
  
Two hours later, the Marauders had finally managed to finish all of their shopping and were heading back towards the Floo Network. As they were about to turn a corner, they heard the sickening sound of a crash and quickly rounded the corner to see what had caused it. What James saw made him suck in a sharp breath. The girl that he had seen in the qudditch store was knocked onto the ground, and her things were strewn all around her. He glanced opposite her and saw Audrey.something (who cares anyway), another geek/social outcast. James quickly ignored her and shifted his attentions towards the beautiful girl.  
  
James' hands instinctively clamped around her petite waist and easily lifted her to her feet. He saw her turn around and her eyes widened with shock again, as they locked with his. She backed away and tripped over one of her strewn items on the floor. James was about to catch her, when Sirius, who was nearer, caught her first. James felt a pang of jealousy when he saw Sirius so close to the girl (the girl was practically on top of him). But he was instantly relieved when she moved out of Sirius' reach and started picking up her things. For a moment, all James could do was stare at her and her slender, flawless white hand, gracefully sweeping up her stuff. Sirius too for that matter, James noticed. The palms of his hands, which had touched her, were still tingling with electricity.  
  
After a few minutes, James managed to snap out of his daze and dropped to his knees to help her. Sirius too, followed suit. Both of them totally ignored Audrey's stuff and only picked up the unknown goddess' things. They didn't want to waste their time on outcasts like her. Suddenly, the girl looked up at them, and her eyes were practically ablaze with an emerald flame. Then in a flash, James and Sirius found themselves being shouted at by the girl, who was at the same time frantically pointing at Audrey. James could only manage to process half of what she was saying, but managed to piece it together. He looked up and true enough, only Remus was helping Audrey. All of a sudden he felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, as the realisation sunk in that he was being told off by a beautiful girl, right in the middle of Diagon Alley.  
  
Suddenly, the girl stopped screaming and paused to take a breath. Her face was pinkish red, which James thought surprisingly, looked quite cute on her. Then her face paled drastically and she snatched up her stuff hastily and bolted from the spot. The Marauders and the surrounding crowd were in a state of shock at this sudden display of fury. James could especially feel himself turning red. What had just happened? A beautiful but complete stranger had just told him off in front of a huge crowd, in the middle of Diagon Alley. James suddenly felt conscious of all the looks that he was getting, and made a quick dash for the Floo Network. He could hear the other Marauders chasing him all the way.  
  
A few minutes later.  
  
James was lying on his bed. Many questions prodded his already troubled mind. Who was that beautiful, mysterious girl? She seemed to know them pretty well, but he was quite sure that he had never seen her before. And why did his mind send him an image of Lily Evans when he was thinking about the identity of the girl, back then. Sure there was the slight similarity in the colour of hair and eyes, but the chances of that girl being Lily Evans, was about as much as Sirius giving up his womanizing ways. Finally, sleep kindly sedated James' mind, and he not so peacefully drifted off into a much troubled sleep. 


	4. Chapter 3 Meeting Between the Heads

The Flower that Finally Bloomed Chapter 4 Meeting the Head Boy  
  
Lily stepped out of her car, at King's Cross. She had started to unload her luggage when her mother, Linda Evans, got out of the driver's side and walked up to Lily.  
  
"Umm...so I guess this is goodbye for another year, Lillian," Mrs. Evans started, awkwardly. Lily simply nodded her head and gave her mother a rather half-hearted hug. Things had always been awkward between her and her mother. Mrs. Evans had spent so much time on her work, and on earning money, that she had simply ignored her daughters (Lily and Petunia) for as long as Lily could remember. As a sad result, Lily always regarded her mother bitterly. Lily's father had been killed in an automobile accident five years ago, so Lily suffered terribly from the lack of parental affection.  
  
Lily turned to walk towards her platform. Then she felt the familiar flood of empty emotions, stemming from her mother's neglect. Tears gathered at the bottom of her eyes. Then as she passed trough the barrier between platform 9 and 10, Lily blinked back her tears and put on her emotionless mask that for a long time had fooled everybody at Hogwarts. To take her troubled mind away from all of her family problems, she began to think about her school life, and her final year at Hogwarts. She was Head Girl this year. This thought cheered Lily up considerably. Then she suddenly remembered that she was entitled to sit in the Head's compartment. 'Wonder who the Head Boy is?' Lily thought. Lily hoped he would be a responsible one. Over the holidays, Lily had also done some extra reading, giving her a head start in her studies (she had taken all the subjects she could squeeze into her timetable, so she probably needed it). Oh, yeah. She had a new look too. Lily wasn't really bothered with this. She had changed her look, no doubt, but she wasn't about to go crazy over it.  
  
'CRASH!!!' Lily hadn't been looking where she was going, and had crashed her trolley into another girl, who gave out a cry. "Oh my god!! I'm so sorry!! I'm soooo sorry!!" Lily repeated, panicking. She rushed forward to see if the girl was hurt. "SARA!!!!" Lily shrieked ecstatically, when she saw the girl's face.  
  
Sara, meanwhile, was staring gapingly at Lily's body. "Lily... is that you," Sara asked uncertainly. Lily nodded, and burst into giggles at the sight of her friend's pale face. "What the hell did you do to yourself Lily?" Sara half-shouted.  
  
Lily's face immediately fell. "You mean you don't like it?" Lily said softly.  
  
"Are you crazy? I love it. You look so damn good. You are so definitely telling me all of your beauty secrets," Sara squealed excitedly.  
  
By now, quite a few people were starting to look their way. Lily suddenly felt self-conscious, and looked up. She saw many older boys gaping at her in a rather rude way, and a fair number of girls (mostly from Potter's fan club) giving her a scornful once over. Lily started to panic when she saw a few from both parties, making their way over to her. Lily quickly grabbed a still talking Sara, who was saying stuff like, "...always knew she had potential...never listened to me....", and hauled her on the train, and into the nearest empty compartment that she could find. Lily then dragged their trunks in, and cast a powerful Silencing Spell on the door, to make sure that no one would be eavesdropping on them. When she finally turned to face Sara, she was bombarded by a wave of questions.  
  
"What did you do to yourself? (Did you see the looks you were getting back there? You definitely have to tell me your beauty secrets.) But why did you do it? Why did you decide to change so suddenly? Shit. This is just so sudden," Sara blurted out in one breath. Lily hesitated, before telling her best friend about how the in incident last year, with Potter had affected her, how she wanted to show everybody what she was made of, how she was finally Head Girl, and finally about how attention shy she still was, even with her new personality. Then she launched into a detailed account of what had happened between her and Potter, in Diagon Alley.  
  
By the time Lily had finished her story, she looked up at Sarah, expecting her to get all critical and start advising her. To Lily's amazement (and amusement), found Sara laughing uncontrollably, with tears starting to form at the sides of her eyes. "Oh, Lily! You know...(laughter)...you're just too...(pause for big intake of breath)... much. Imagine screaming at...(hysterical laughter)... James Potter...(gasp)... in front of everyone..." Sara cried, trying unsuccessfully to manage her laughter. Finally, she gave up trying and Lily thought she was going to have a fit.  
  
Lily decided that she couldn't take it anymore, and left the compartment for the Head's compartment. "Hey!!! Where do you think you are going?" Sara called from behind Lily.  
  
"Oh, only to the plush Head's compartment, where everybody is sane," Lily answered casually, with a smug expression on her face.  
  
"Whoa!! Hold on. I'm coming with you," Sara cried as she scrambled up to Lily. She most definitely wasn't going to miss this fabulous, once-in-a- lifetime opportunity, to lounge in the Head's compartment. Lily smiled triumphantly to herself, at her friend's response. In truth, Lily didn't think that she was quite ready to come to terms with the fact that she was actually the Head Girl for the whole year, without her best friend. But damn it. She was feeling so goddamn excited, butterflies in the stomach and all, as she got nearer to the Head's Compartment. She could only make wild guesses, to who was the Head Boy.  
  
When they finally reached the Head's Compartment, they could hear male voices coming from inside. 'Good. The Head Boy's there already,' Lily thought, with a rush of anticipation. She stood in front of the compartment door, straightened her clothes, and looked at Sara, who gave her a reassuring smile. Lily pushed open the sliding door and stared in amazement at the inside of the compartment. It was decorated and furnished lavishly, with the house colours of Gryffindor, red and gold, everywhere.  
  
But as she scanned the room, Lily's eyes landed on someone that made her heart stop abruptly. Standing before her, inside the Head's compartment was non other than James Potter and company. And to add salt to the wound, James Potter had the Head Boy badge pinned onto his robes. Behind her, Lily heard Sara give out something between a hiccough and a choke. Suddenly, Lily felt her head swimming with nausea, as the realisation hit her, that Potter was Head Boy and she was Head Girl. She would be sharing a tower wit him, sharing duties with him, and worse of all, they expected her to actually work with HIM. Lily felt her legs turn to jelly at the last thought, and she had to lean on the door handle to steady herself.  
  
Her heart gave a leap; when she felt the same pair of strong hands that had lifted her in Diagon Alley, guide her almost forcibly to the couch. They then sat her down gently on the sofa surface, and at that moment, Lily made herself look up. She felt a jolt of electricity surge through her body; as her eyes met James' brown ones, once again. She had wondered since that encounter at Diagon Alley, why James' eyes had had such an effect on her. She quickly brushed those thoughts away, and tilted her head slightly, to look past James. Sara was peeking over James' broad shoulders. Her face was pale and her eyes Shivered with fear. Sirius, Remus and Peter were standing right beside Sara, looking very worried. Lily could vaguely make out Sara mumbling something like, "I didn't know that she would take the idea of James being Head Boy, so badly. Oh dear. This is really bad."  
  
Lily suddenly got her movement back, and attempted to stand up. She managed to do so, though on wobbly feet. "I'm perfectly alright, and I can assure you that I'm not in any sort of a life-threatening situation, now. Though I must say, Potter becoming Head Boy was pretty shocking," Lily weakly, but haughtily, retorted.  
  
James suddenly cleared his throat and said charmingly," Excuse me, miss, but what do you exactly mean by that. You seem to know my name and that I am a very horrible person, yet I do not know a thing about you...well, except that you are the new Head Girl."  
  
Lily gritted her teeth at the sound of his honey sweet voice. After so many years of hearing him using his mocking and cold tone at her, this change of voice slightly alarmed Lily. Then she remembered that she was now a beautiful goddess instead of a pathetic geek, in Potter's eyes. Lily felt a familiar rush of rage flood her veins.  
  
"Oh please, Potter. You have known me for the last six years. No wait. Scratch that. Made my life a living hell for the last six years," Lily hissed. James as well as his friends looked thoroughly confused at this sudden outburst. Lily savoured this moment before continuing her verbal pounding. "C'mon Potter. Don't tell me you could forget one of your daily social victims. I'm hurt," Lily sighed, feigning hurt – James seemed to have gone into deep thought. "Fine, add some frizzy hair, large glasses and baggy cargo pants," Lily spat impatiently. James looked even more clueless. "Potter, are you really that thick? Why don't you try flat- chested and total 100% geek," Lily continued. "Okay," Lily said boredly, " Lets see whether this recollection helps. Last year, two weeks before summer holidays, my essay was destroyed – completely drenched – in black ink, by a stuck-up asshole."  
  
Suddenly, James's eyes widened in realization. "It can't be. You're...You're Evans?" James asked uncertainly.  
  
Sirius snorted and said, "Evans. Jamsie, are you thinking straight? Evans is the queen of geeks. You're insulting this beautiful lady in front of us, by simply mentioning her name. Evans...god , you've got to have flies in your head to think SHE might be Evans."  
  
Lily looked sweetly at Sirius and said, "Oh but on the contrary, Mr.Black. I am Lily Evans, Queen of Dorks as you might put it, and how do you like my new look? More feminine don't you think," Lily said in her sickeningly sweet voice. Lily's expression suddenly changed and she glared venomously at a very surprised Sirius. Then she walked out of the room in a huff, leaving a bewildered Sara to chase after her.  
  
Evans. Evans...that name kept on resounding in James's head. James was still having a hard time accepting that the most beautiful girl he ever laid his eyes on was Lily Evans. She seemed to have an effect on him that he had never experienced with other girls before. The way electricity surges through his body every time her green eyes connected with his hazel ones. The way his hand would tingle after touching her. It was like they were made for each other. But the only thing was that Evans thought that he was nothing but a vain, bullying bastard. True. He had made her life a total hell for he past six years. But now, she had changed from a super geek to a megahot chick. Now, ever since that incident in Diagon Alley, all his mind would allow him to think about was Lily Evans.  
  
But James was completely aware of how much she hated him. Trying to hook up with her would be like diving headlong into a sea of sharks. In other words, utter suicide. James was sure that even if he turned on the full Potter charm, Lily would still just brush him off like a pest. Lily was certainly no airhead. In fact she sometimes scared him, especially during her frequent outbursts. James mentally reminded himself to be more careful this year. Lily might just decide to strangle him in his sleep or something.  
  
A loud whistle startled James out of his thoughts. He looked around and saw that all his friends had already changed into their school robes. "Shit. Shit," James sweared as he tried to pull on his robes, which kept slipping down his shoulders. After finally managing to get into his robes, James looked out of the window of the compartment and saw a huge majestic castle. He took one look at it and thought, 'My home for the rest if the year.' And this year being Head Boy and all , he was going to be in charge. Then his mind untactfully reminded him, 'Not fully in charge. Evans will be there, playing her role as Head Girl.' She was going to make his life a living hell but delightful at the same time. 


	5. Chapter 4 Return to Hogwarts

The Flower that Finally Bloomed Chapter 5 Return to Hogwarts  
  
Lily stepped off the train, in front of Hogwarts. She looked up and gazed at the majestic Scottish-design castle. This was going to be her home again for the next ten months. Not that she was complaining. "It's not like my family home's any better," she murmured bitterly to herself.  
  
"Hellooooo...Earth to Lily Evans. Do we have contact?" Sara screeched playfully, jolting Lily out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Sara standing at the main entrance of Hogwarts, waving her arms frantically at Lily's direction  
  
Lily forced her lips into a tight smile, and pushed all her bitter thoughts about home to the back of her head. "I'm coming Sara McMoony," Lily shouted back to Sara, as she jogged up to her.  
  
"What did you call me, Miss Lily Flower? 'McMoony' eughhh...that makes me sound like a grandma. Where did you get the slightest idea that I'd adopt HIS surname? I told you a million times that I have absolutely no feelings for Remus," Sara huffed, as she walked alongside Lily to the dining hall.  
  
"Yeah. Are you sure? Someone's a bit touchy on the subject," Lily teased gleefully, "Besides, the poor guy's just dying to grab you and snog you senseless.  
  
Sara blushed bright red at this statement. "Whatever. What about you? James looked like a puppy who has discovered a huge juicy bone, when he saw you just now," Sara shot back.  
  
At this, Lily's mind immediately formed a picture of James Potter in her mind. 'Hey, those hazel eyes are really something. Makes him look sorta...cute,' she thought. Hold on what did she just think!? "James Potter is not cute. He's nothing but a bullying asshole. That's right. He's ugly, arrogant and a womanizer," Lily corrected herself aloud.  
  
"So that's what Lily Evans, the ex-dork, thinks of me, eh?"  
  
Lily swiveled around to face the speaker. She saw a sneering James Potter right behind her, hurt evident in her eyes. Shit. Had she really said that out loud? Damn. She hadn't meant to do that.  
  
Lily sighed and said, "Look Potter, I..." James did not let her finish.  
  
"Save it, Evans," James sneered evilly before stalking off into the Great Hall. Sirius, Remus and Peter scurried after James, shooting death glances at Lily. (It was noticed by Sara that Remus was looking quite a fair bit at her, rather than Lily.) Lily could only open and close her mouth, trying to get out a wordless apology.  
  
Sara clamped her hand over Lily's shoulder, and advised, "Serve them right, the jerky bastards. Don't worry Lily, someone has to puncture that jerk's ego." Lily wanted so much to agree with her friend. But that look on James' face, the clear hurt in his hazel eyes. They cut at her heart. She actually really felt sorry for hurting that arrogant bastard. "Stop, it," she scolded herself. Yep! She totally agreed with Sara. They got what they deserved. But somehow, she knew deep down that she did not mean that at all.  
  
As Lily and Sara walked into the Great Hall, the gigantic hall that was usually buzzing with noise hushed, and all eyes were on Lily. There were some distinctive remarks like, "Who is that hot girl?" and "Is that a new student? She's really got it going." Lily felt embarrassed by these comments, and did her best to hide behind Sara, who seemed to be oblivious to the comments.  
  
"Hey Sara, over here. Come join us, and you're welcome to bring your pretty friend along," a couple of members of the James Potter Fanclub called from the end of the Gryffindor table, nearest to the Marauders (duh!). Sara immediately bounded over, dragging a visibly reluctant Lily along.  
  
"So Sara, how was your holiday," Alison asked in her extremely fake, high-pitched voice, while her eyes seemed to dart every three seconds to James, who was sitting two seats away from her. James, Lily uncomfortably noted, was giving her very evil glances.  
  
"Well, I went to France for a week. One of my aunt's live there, so I got to tour the whole place for free, courtesy of my exhausted uncle and his poor car," Sara jokingly said, and started laughing at her own joke. (Coincidentally, at the same moment, Remus was blushing like a tomato at something Sirius had whispered something into his ear.) Sara's friends (except Lily who was looking rather nervous) started letting out laughs that sounded more like screeches, probably trying to get James' attention.  
  
"Sara honey. You're sooo funny. But who is your new friend? She looks pretty enough to be one of us. (Sheesh!) Come and tell us about yourself," Claire, another JP fanclub member, inquired, addressing a panicking Lily.  
  
"Oh dear. None of them knows it's me," Lily thought fearfully. How was she going to tell them? How would they react? "Umm...I'm..." Lily had hardly spoken her first word, when the headmaster started his speech.  
  
"Welcome, boys and girls, once again to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As usual, the forbidden Forest is out of bounds, and I would like to appeal to a certain four boys to try and refrain from getting into too much trouble this year," Dumbledore said, looking purposefully at the Marauders. The Marauders feigned deep hurt, when Dumbledore said this, causing the entire hall to burst into ripples of laughter.  
  
Dumbledore's mouth twitched slightly at their public display of watery puppy dog eyes, but he managed to control his expression. "Having said all that, I would now like to introduce this year's Heads. These two students have shown outstanding performances in their academic work, and are responsible as well as trusting. (Sirius snorted into his pudding at the last half of the sentence. James glared at him.) I'm very pleased to introduce to you your new Head Boy, James Potter," Dumbledore announced. James grinned as he stood up amidst a thunderous roar of applause and screeches (from the JP fanclub). "And your new Head Girl is, Lily Evans," Dumbledore continued, but this time to total silence. Suddenly, the whole hall erupted into whispers as Lily stood up.  
  
"Is THAT Lily Evans..." "Hey, she's hot..." Lily felt her face grow hot, and she could feel James glaring at her. As she sat down, Alison practically shrieked, "You're Evans!! Evans that...that dork! Look who's trying to fit in now, eh? Well guess what Miss Smarty Pants, you were never welcome here, and you still aren't. So get lost, BITCH!!!"  
  
Lily heard the whole hall hush, and she could feel tears gathering at the bottom of hr eyes. She quickly stood up, and her legs automatically started running. Lily ran as fast as she could to the door, determined to keep her tears back until she was past the door. She heard Sara calling after her, telling her to come back. But she kept running, running as fast as she could. She hated everybody. Everybody with the exception of Sara.  
  
Back at the hall...  
  
Sara had lost her temper with Alison. "You lousy miserable bitch..." she seethed, "What did she ever do to you? Huh? ANSWER ME!!!" Sara lunged at Alison, but Remus caught her just in time before she could gauge out Alison's eyes. For a girl, Sara had an unnatural strength, and James had to help Remus restrain her.  
  
Dumdledore suddenly appeared beside them and said, "Ten points from Grffindor, for that and unsporting comment, Miss Creek. Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black. Please escort Miss McOriel to her dorm, and as for Mr. Potter. Would you be so kind as to go find Miss Evans and bring her to my office? I would like to have a discussion with the both of you." With that, he disappeared from the hall.  
  
James hardly had time to nod, and walked swiftly out of the doors. God. He didn't know Lily had it that hard. All these years she was not only taunted by him, but also by the girls. But he felt angry all over again, when he thought of how Lily had insulted him earlier. Nobody calls James Potter names, and gets off easy. Just then, he heard loud sobs coming from an empty Charms classroom on his right. James gently pushed open the door and was surprised to find that it wasn't locked.  
  
"Go...away..." a sob-wracked voice said suddenly from a corner. James turned and all his earlier anger evaporated. Lily was crouching in a dark corner, her knees to her face, and tears streaked her flawless white skin. James took a step towards her. The very sight of Lily crying made James' heart want to break with sorrow for her. She looked like some sort of fallen angel.  
  
Lily saw James approaching and she wiped her face angrily. "I said go away," she said in a stronger voice." Have you come to laugh at me? No wait. Lets see what other names you can call me. Dork Evans? Evans the Geek? Which one is it this time?" Lily spat.  
  
She let out a surprised gasp when James suddenly knelt down in front of her and put his arms around her. In her shock at this most unexpected gesture, Lily could do little but hang limply in James' strong arms.  
  
Suddenly, James got up abruptly and dusted his robe. "Sorry..." he mumbled and offered Lily a hand. "Dumbledore wishes to discuss something with us," James continued in a more formal voice.  
  
Lily's spark of hope distinguished with his abrupt manner. 'Of coarse. What did you expect? He must feel really sorry for such a pathetic, silly girl like me,' Lily thought bitterly as she took his hand. Suddenly, her old resentment for him returned, and her heart stoned over. When Lily was finally standing on her own two feet again, James held her hand gently to steady her. Lily angrily slapped his hand away, and glared at James. "Potter, I don't need your sympathy. I can manage perfectly fine by my self," Lily spat.  
  
Lily immediately began to regret her sharp words, as the familiar hurt spread across James' face. But James seemed to be able to control his expressions, and quickly masked his face over with a stone cold expression. "Look Evans, we are expected at Dumbledore's office, right now. And if you weren't so caught up in your own little sad world, I wouldn't be here, watching this pathetic scene," James replied coldly. Then he spun around and began to walk out of the classroom.  
  
As she watched James walk out of the door, an unexpected electric feeling filled her body, and her heart seemed to have taken control of her body. It was now or never. She ran up to James, called out his name and when he turned around, she planted a firm kiss on his lips. 


	6. Chapter 5 Unrest Between the Heads

The Flower that Finally Bloomed Chapter 6 Unrest Between the Heads

Lily opened her eyes slowly. James had vanished. 'It was just my fucking imagination,' Lily thought, surprisingly feeling disappointed. 'How pathetic,' Lily thought angrily, 'I'm sitting here dreaming that I could have Potter's bloody lips on mine.' Lily hastily wiped her eyes and tried to clean her mascara-stained cheeks. She then picked herself up and started to walk slowly to the Gryffindor Common Room.

James P.O.V.

James was making his way, well actually more like stomping, to Dumbledore's office. 'Aaargh,' James thought angrily, 'That girl is so…so…so…so hard-headed.' James stopped walking and took a few deep breaths. 'Much better…no use getting my blood pressure so high up because of that girl,' James thought more calmly.

"Well Jamsie-boy, looks like Dumbledore is only seeing one Head tonight," James said out loud.

At Dumbledore's office,

"Ah, Mr. Potter. You are half an hour late, and our dear Ms. Evans is not with you," Dumbledore enquired while raising his eyebrow questioningly.

"Umm…She had some…well…you could say deep issues, and decided not to come. But I can pass the instructions on to her," James said hesitantly.

Dumbledore sighed and said, "Look Mr. Potter. The reason why I wanted to have a meeting with you two was because I felt that you two do not get along much. But since Ms. Evans is not present, I guess I will have to talk to you first."

Dumbledore paused, and James could sense that he was trying to find the right words to phrase whatever he was about to say. Finally, he said, "Now, Mr. Potter. I understand that you have not been the nicest person to Ms. Evans, in the past. From that, I can deduce that she does not find you a very favourable person. But she needs your help Mr. Potter. See it from this point of view. She is a patient and you are a doctor. She may be strong willed at first, and refuse to accept the bitter medicine, but in the end, she has no choice but to accept what is good for her. So please Mr. Potter, help her. Together you two make a very capable pair of Heads."

James was a bit surprised at Dumbledore's speech, but amused all the same. HIM, help Lily. She would probably smother him to death in his sleep or something which involved him getting physically injured.

Dumbledore continued, "Another thing Mr. Potter. The Heads' dormitory is in the North Tower. The password is 'Heads are here'. So until our next meeting Mr. Potter, I bid you goodnight." With a loud POP!, Dumbledore disappeared.

'How the hell does he do that? I thought you couldn't apparate and disapparate within Hogwarts' grounds,' James thought, puzzled. 'Whatever. Better go tell Sirius and the rest about our new headquarters.'

Lily's P.O.V.

She had been walking for ten minutes, vaguely making out the way to the Gryffindor common room. Lily knew she must have looked terrible…swollen eyes…her hair all over the place…and mascara streaks down her cheeks. But she didn't care to let people see her broken, she was too tired. She only wanted to have a good sleep. Fuck Alison…Fuck James…Fuck them all…except Sara, her very own personal angel.

Lily took a few deep calming breaths before stepping through the portrait hole. She immediately felt the entire common room hush, as she entered. She saw them all shooting her sympathetic looks. They were giving HER, Lily Evans, sympathetic looks. Now that was one thing she could never stand. "What the hell are you all looking at huh? I'm not some sorta freak show am I? Get back to your own work or that will be twenty points from Gryffindor!!!" Lily shouted, losing her temper.

Suddenly, a big hand gripped her shoulder from out of nowhere. Lily turned around sharply, determined to give the offender a piece of her mind. 'Oh great….it's Potter,' Lily thought even more heatedly. But before she could say anything, James had dragged her to an empty corner. Everyone was looking at them, and James gave them a rather cold glare. They immediately pretended to go back to their work…after all; no one wanted to see James angry.

"Listen Evans, I'm not angry with you or anything but I do not have any desire to talk with you either. But since I decided to be responsible and turn up for our meeting with Dumbledore, I'm obliged to give you these instructions. The Head's dormitory is situated in the North Tower and the password is 'Heads are here', so don't forget it," James said smoothly, without a hint of emotion. James then began to walk off. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Oh and try to keep that temper under control. Our house can't afford to loose anymore points you know," James drawled almost mockingly.

Lily was left by herself, spluttering indignantly. How dare he. How dare that pompous asshole say that to her. She was Head Girl and was entitled to take away points just like him….she…she…..aargh…she couldn't even find the words to express her anger at him. Lily just simply stomped her way to the Head's dorm. There she would give him a piece of her mind.

James' P.O.V.

James had entered the common-room, just in time to see Lily blow her head off. But he had to admit, she looked pretty gorgeous when she lost her temper. Her green eyes would turn several shades darker, her lips would go into an angry pout, and her beautiful fiery hair would fly about her, as if to emphasize her anger. The only word that came to James' mind was "Wow". Suddenly, he remembered his purpose for finding her and walked towards her, while mentally bracing himself for the fury of this enraged temptress. When he finally reached her, her back was facing him, so he decided to put his hand on her shoulder. As she turned around, James swore he thought he saw her eyes turn almost black when she saw him. At that moment, even the admired quidditch captain felt a twinge of fear in his heart. But he quickly shook the feeling away and put on his stony calm face.

While dragging an obviously unpleased Lily, James made his way to an empty corner of the common room. When he had stopped walking, he noticed that everyone around them was shooting them inquisitive glances. James quickly gave them a stony glare which quickly diverted their gazes. He then proceeded to relay the information to her as smoothly and coolly as he could. After his task was done, James walked away towards Sirius, stopping only to tease her, something which he never could resist.

"Um….YOOHOO!! Prongsie me boy! Are you listening to anything I am saying or daydreaming about your beloved Lils?" Sirius practically shrieked into James' dreamy face.

"Huh…What…oh of course Blackie….but I didn't quite catch the last bit. What was the last bit about again….?" James quickly said, unconvincingly, before relapsing into his stupor again.

"Well let's see, I was naming the top ten girls who make the hottest dates, and giving my own 'personal' reasons why, but Prongs decided that a certain red-headed Head Girl named LILY EVANS, was more captivating than MUA," Sirius ranted like an old lady, in an annoyed voice.

"It's no use Sirius. Prongs seems quite caught up with Lily," said Remus, with a shake of his head. Then he turned to James and said analytically, "But James, you do know she's a hard catch. A pretty violent one to say the least. But it is a well known fact that the violent ones are also the most passionate ones."

At this sudden remark about Lily, James seemed to have regained his full concentration. "I think you guys are pretty aware of the fact that she downright despises me. Both of us aren't exactly on good terms at the moment," James sighed.tiredly.

Sirius snorted, "That's a severe understatement Jamsie. Seeing the look on her face in the common room just now, when she saw you, she might have as well killed you on the spot with that look of hers."

"Yea I know….,"James trailed off as he yawned. "Well I'm off to get some shut eye," said James, suddenly standing up.

"Hold on Prongs. You haven't revealed to us fellow Marauders the details on your new dorm, yet. James, you know that is breaking our number one Marauder rule: What you know, we know," Sirius finished, flailing his arms dramatically.

"Alright, alright….sheesh," James grumbled. "But no spending the night there, and since when did we have a Marauder rule. I thought we WERE supposed to be breaking rules."

"Ahhh….that's where you are slightly wrong Prongs. We are only opposed to rules which have been enforced to preserve peacefulness," Sirius said matter-of-factly. Then his ebony black eyes focused intensely on James' hazel ones and he said, "Now back to the point. So tell me already Prongs…tell me the password to luxury."

James sighed, "There goes my last hope for any peace and quiet at all this year. North Tower, password's 'Heads are here'…I appeal to you Sirius, do not follow me back tonight. I'm very tired and it's nearly midnight. I've also got loads of work to do tomorrow." James then disappeared through the portrait hole.

As he approached the Head's dorm, James half wanted Lily to still be awake so that they could straighten things out, but the other half of him was still proud and indignant on admitting defeat. He muttered the password and slowly entered, trying to be as quiet as possible. James noticed a heap of silky red hair tumbling down in masses on the side of one of the couches near the fireplace. James crept over to see what or who it was. What he saw made him suck in a sharp intake of breath. It was Lily Evans.

She was dressed in a humble nightgown, sleeveless but not see-through. James saw the book half clasped in her hand and deduced that she must have fallen asleep reading. James saw that the book was a romance novel. 'Typical Lily, always the romantic,' James thought to himself. He allowed himself to appreciate her flawless milky white skin and flaming red hair, illuminated by the firelight. To James she looked like a goddess, an angel. Right there and then he was perfectly ready to call a truce with her. But he certainly didn't want to wake her up. Instead, he got up and walked tiredly to his room, anxious to dream about his perfect angel again.


End file.
